‘Oranga Whānau is Oranga Tamariki’

Today, whānau
from all walks of life gathered around the country and at
Parliament because they care. They care for their tamariki,
their mokopuna and they also care for the suffering parents
and whānau. The Hands off our Tamariki Hīkoi brought
people out in the light showers and “It was like it was a
blessing from our tūpuna” said President of the Māori
Party, Che Wilson.

Kuia, including Dame Tariana Turia,
led the hīkoi on to Parliament Grounds. These kuia and many
others at the hīkoi had all experienced the pain of State
intervention; whether they had first hand experience with up
lifts or whether they had helped take in whānau, they were
there. Wilson was asked by one reporter to comment on the
anger of some people screaming out loud and his response
was, “that wasn’t anger, that was generations of pain.
It was generations of trauma and desperation. When you
don’t know that pain you can’t identify it for what it
really is. Instead you confuse it for anger rather than the
deepest pain that can cut down a person and destabilise
generations.”

33 years ago Puao-te-ata-tu advocated
for whānau to be recognised as part of the solution. The
impact of that revolutionary report has never been realised.
Whānau Ora is founded on the same principles as
Puao-te-ata-tu and it has been proven to work, “Government
need to invest in what works, Whānau Ora and Matua
Whāngai. They have to stop wasting our taxes on State
intervention which countless reviews has shown fails and
often, causes just as much if not more harm”.

Today
was also a chance for people to reconnect, old friends saw
each other after years. Whānau saw whānau and our
president was able to reconnect with his children’s
midwife based in Huntley and “It’s thanks to the
midwives in Hastings, that we are here today” said
Wilson.

Dame Tariana also noted how frustrating it is
that the government and opposition send out the Māori and
backbench MPs and this has to stop. Wilson supports her
sentiments noting that “Minister Martin should have
fronted the people”. Wilson closed the hīkoi with a
waiata and karakia and when you translate the waiata it’s
message is simple, ‘the most precious thing in my heart is
my little mokopuna... love is paramount so don’t smack my
little mokopuna’

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